State Parks Budget Update State Parks Budget Update 2015-2017 Spending Plan Details Thursday, August 6, 2015 With the end of the 2015 session - finally! – occurring the second week in July, State Parks leadership has had to scramble quickly to fully understand the financial resources available to us and come up with a program and spending plan for the 2015-17 biennium. The good news is that the Governor and Legislature - and park visitors through the fees they pay and the donations they generously give to State Parks - have provided resources that allow the agency to make some modest but significant investments to basic park operations. Below you will see an email message from Director Hoch to Parks staff which is designed to provide a clear overview of extent and direction that those additional resources are to be used. Read more
Wildlife and Recreation Program: Restored and Funded! Wildlife and Recreation Program: Restored and Funded! WWRP Blog - July 9 Sunday, July 12, 2015 You made your voices heard, telling your elected officials that protecting our great outdoors matters to Washingtonians, and Olympia listened. Thanks to all of your hard work, last week the legislature passed a budget that restored WWRP and funded valuable conservation projects across our state that support recreation in our urban spaces and our great outdoors. We are thrilled to be able to share that the budget passed last week by our state legislature and signed by the Governor restored the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program (WWRP) and invested $55 million in the grant program. The Coalition is grateful for this bipartisan compromise which saved WWRP and ensured that our state continues to invest in our great outdoors. Read more
Washington Senator Kevin Ranker: The Way I See It Washington Senator Kevin Ranker: The Way I See It Outdoor Industry Association, By Grant Davis Wednesday, July 8, 2015 Kevin Ranker, D-Orcas Island, has represented the San Juan Islands district in the Washington State Senate since 2008. This year, along with Senator Linda Evans Parlette, R-Wenatchee, he introduced and played a key role in helping to pass Senate Bill 5843, a rare bi-partisan law establishing a senior policy advisor in the governor’s office who will focus on outdoor recreation and the promotion of outdoor recreation throughout the state. In addition, the law provides funding for the state’s “No Child Left Inside” (NCFI) initiative, and it gives veterans priority when it comes to jobs created by the NCFI program. We caught the self-described waterman in Puget Sound during a break from Washington’s current budget battle to get his take on the outdoors and what they mean to his state and his own life (At press time, the current legislative session was heading into it’s fourth additional month). Read more
An Impressive List of "Wins" Blue Ribbon Task Force on Outdoor Recreation Monday, July 6, 2015 Last interim, the Governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Outdoor Recreation put together a set of recommendations to the Legislature on outdoor recreation programs and State Parks funding. The attached chart shows all of the "wins" related to those recommendations, and it is pretty impressive list." Read more
Congress must lead to preserve recreation and conservation program Congress must lead to preserve recreation and conservation program By Norm Dicks, Special to the Times Monday, June 22, 2015 TIME is running out for America’s premier conservation and outdoor recreation program. There are fewer than 100 days until the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) expires after 50 years of strong bipartisan support. This wonderful federal program works to secure our natural areas, water resources and cultural heritage, and helps open our public lands for outdoor recreation. Read more